Facilities Update from Our Pastor, Fr. Mike Hall
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Posted February 28, 2022
A parish like St. Gregory the Great, with its extensive grounds and facilities, requires ongoing upkeep and maintenance, especially with the passage of time: enhancements can also be beneficial when they can be done. For this reason, now is an opportune time to update our parishioners on facilities projects completed recently – some visible and some behind the scenes – projects that are on the immediate horizon, and projects which would be of real benefit in the near future.
- Stations of the Cross: although the installation is taking a little longer than we anticipated due to construction materials shortages, we are hopeful that it will completed for use during Lent. Most know that these Stations once resided in the now closed Blessed Sacrament Church in Trenton, and this project was near and dear to Fr. McClane as well as to Fr. Jay Bowden who grew up as a parishioner of that parish. The Stations and installation have been funded by donations from numerous parish organizations and parishioners and they will be memorialized once the installation is complete.
- Sound System: in recent years, the sound system in the church has often been unstable and on some occasions not operational at all. A few months ago, after consultation with an audio specialist, we signed a contract for a new sound system. Once again, we were blessed to receive a donation from a generous parishioner which covers a significant portion of the purchase and installation of the system. The good news is that the system will be installed in the next two weeks and will result in significant improvement in the quality of audio at the celebration of our liturgies and other events in the church.
- FEMA Security Grants: since first made available in 2018, the Parish has applied for federal security grants, specifically earmarked for houses of worship, including the Academy. In 2020 and 2021, we were fortunate to receive substantial grants for a number of projects, including a major upgrade to our church video surveillance system which was recently completed. In the upcoming months, additional projects are planned:
- Electronic locking system for the church and Chapel, enabling the automatic locking and unlocking of the doors at prescribed times
- Security bollards (in the form of large planters) at the main entrances to the church
- An intrusion detection system and further enhancement of our surveillance system
- An emergency exit in the Sanctuary using one of the windows behind the altar (this security project is funded through a donation from a parishioner)
At the Academy, the FEMA grants have funded a similar camera upgrade and ballistic window film and the following are planned: installation of fencing, bollards/planters and new high security doors for both the school building and the Parish Center.- Under Consideration for the near future: the complete repaving of our parking lot, which will become crucial at some point very soon. Also, we hope to finally renovate the old “Church Hall” in the basement of the church which has unavailable for use since the new church was built almost two decades ago. This would add significant and convenient meeting and event space to our facility.